great name = great player

How does wilt chamberlin roll off the tongue?
or..
Hakeem Olijuwon
Bob pettit
Dirk Nowitzki
Pete Maravich
Alonzo Mourning

I think just because you hear those names often they sound more fluid…
A name like Lebryan Nash is dope but I hardly ever hear it so it sounds kind of weird when said aloud, probably the same thing would happen to a name like kobe if kobe bryant wasnt a superstar

Perhaps you are implying that certain names are more marketable/reminiscent than others??? But at the end of the day, it’s all about performance. If you perform at a high rate, your name will ring bells.

If a player plays well, you’ll hear their name a lot and become accustomed to it.. Anthony Davis as a name is hardly extraordinary or unique yet he has done well..

However it is interesting to think if your name had been different whether you would have received different attention or social pressure and ended up as a different person, maybe not a drastic change of course… Being different at a young age does draw attention and how you grow up affects how you eventually end up… I’m thinking too much about this but it’s an interesting idea..

Joe Smith was a bust

Then why is LeBryan Nash not the consensus number one pick?

I know, just give him time.

Then why is LeBryan Nash not the consensus number one pick?

I know, just give him time.

Also, what sounds like more of a scrubs name?

Keith (the most annoying name in the English language) Van Horn or Chauncey Billups, who sounds like an 18th century southern congressman.

Chief Kickingstallionsims should be an all star by now

God’s Gift Achiuwa while on the verge of being the first senior redshirt (not due to inury) ive ever heard of wil ride the strength of his name to a first round draft pick and 12 All Defensive team selections

Just curious, did you get the “Dan Smith” example from Key and Peele’s East/West College Bowl video?

The debate about black/white players is pretty silly, but this takes the cake.

going off about the NBA being racist angainst Greek players. This thread is his proof.

"White guys have names like Lenny, whereas black guys have names like Carl"-Homer Simpson

I do not think a name has been any determination of greatness. I mean, if you want to really delve into it, Magic’s real name is Earvin. One of the greatest football players of all-time was named Jim Brown. Does not get much more normal than that, but we think of that name and that person, not that the name made said person. I feel Lew Alcindor was a cool name before he changed it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, just that their is accomplishment we think of more behind the second one as that is what he chose to go by for a longer portion of his life.

Still, William Russell seems like a pretty normal name, as would Rick Barry, David Robinson and David Thompson. I mean, what is wrong with the name Keyon Dooling? I thought that name was kind of cool. If this theory were correct, than here are some names that would have made these guys All-Time greats:

• Ruben "Boom Boom" Boutmje-Boutmje
• Ha Seung-Jin (With "HA" on the back of his jersey? Classic)
• Ousmane Cisse (Just remember seeing him jump over a guy to block his shot in HS. His name was solid)
• God Shammgod (The man formerly known as Shammgod Wells, which in itself was also a great name, would have been up there with Michael Jordan. He may be a legend for his dribbling ability, but not at all a NBA legend)
• Darko Milicic (It just sounded bad @ss. DARKO! A legend mainly on this board, nowhere else. Now, if someone were named Darko, he would automatically be destined to fail?)
• Duany Duany (Just a personal favorite)
• Bak Bak (Still plays for Cal, just imagine it is probably not pronounced this way, but always imagine it being like he was on Old McDonald’s farm)
• Khalid El-Amin (College greatness, yes. NBA greatness, not so much)
• Soumaila Samake
• Vincent Yarbrough (That name seemed like it was destined for greatness to me. Just liked the name)
• Sofoklis Schortsianitis (I mean, it is amazing! He has had a nice European career, just never made a splash in the NBA)
• Nedzad Sinanovic (The only NBA noise he made was his legendary fight with Ha Seung-Jin)
• Pavel Podkolzin (With a nickname like "the Siberian bear"? Do not tell me this name would not make him a top 5 center in the league right now!)
• Gregor F-ucka (ProudGrandpa’s favorite. It was apparently pronounced Fooch-car I believe, but with a name like that on the back of a jersey? Wilt who?)
• Tyrus Thomas (I think Stephen A. Smith was commentating the 2006 Draft using the OP’s theory…..)
• Saer Sene (How could that name fail?)
• Chukwudiebere Maduabum (Chu Chu is yet another guy who would have gone much higher in a name draft than he did in a basketball draft)
• Targuy Ngombo (No way he would have been like, 40, if the name Gods had anything to say about it)
• Bismack Biyombo (He may still have his believers. I am not one of them. Name Gods haveth deceived us yet again)
• Fab Melo (Another guy I have not much faith in. Yet, his name, is, amazing.)
• Izzet Turkyalamz (One would only hope for the next Dirk Nowitzki in a name with such power)
• Majestic/Scientific Mapp (Would be atleast around where the Harrison twins are valued right now)
• Duke Crews (Come on! He would at least be on Charles Barkley or Moses Malone levels as a rebounder)
• Ajou Ajou Deng (Would have been somewhere near where his brother is currently. Dropping one "Ajou" must have hurt him)
• Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Could have been Uncle Drew’s sidekick instead of Kevin Love. The name makes it work!)

Well, in conclusion, these men I have named were robbed by this theory. Not to mention, Tony Parker and Josh Smith both had counterparts on UCLA at a point in time.